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Kinyarwanda
The Inspector General of Police, Emmanuel K. Gasana, has called on officers to be more proactive and engage the media more in order to foster a relationship that is fruitful to both parties.
IGP Gasana was speaking Saturday, January 17, during a retreat for officers within the Public Relations and Media Department at Police.
In his opening remarks, IGP Gasana urged the officers to “move with the times” by being proactive in disseminating news that is beneficial to the public and helpful to journalists that seek information that is developmental.
“In the framework of community policing, it is important for Police to embrace the paradigm shifts that makes timely information very relevant. Time waits for no man and therefore, we must be ready to work smart by disseminating news which is key to our country’s development,” he said.
“The institution must always be awake, engage more with the public and reach out to those who need relevant information about our policing operations. Whereas we have done well in the past, we must maintain our standards and make our brand stronger.”
IGP Gasana reminded officers to increase their knowledge of the political and social context of Rwanda, as well as revise the framework of police operations in order to be able to disseminate news in a more well-informed format.
Guest speaker at the retreat, Kennedy Munyangeyo, Programs Director at Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA), told the officers that whereas sometimes the public assumes that relationship between Police and media is always controversial, RNP should always set the precedence in ensuring that the relationship is positive.
“Both Police and media serve the public in very important ways, and therefore, there is no need for controversy. Therefore, there is an obligation on the side of Police to engage with the media more, pick their phone calls, organize press conferences and provide journalists with timely information,” Munyangeyo said.
“While engaging journalists, officers should remember that their approach and attitude is significant and represents the entire institution. That is why every officer on duty should uphold the good morals of the force.”
Another guest, Ignatius Kabagambe, a long serving media professional now working with Rwanda Governance Board, told the officers that they should be wary of unprofessional journalists who ask for bribes, or who seek to misuse the information provided for purposes that may cause mistrust amongst the public.
“You must remember that much as there are very many professional journalists in Rwanda, some are unprofessional and their only motive is personal gain. You should verify the person asking questions before giving them information; whether they are local, regional or international journalists,” he said.
Rwanda National Police has been proactive in engaging the media over the years, by using both traditional media like print and broadcast, as well as new social media forms like Twitter and Facebook.
The maiden survey by Ejo Social Media Ranking Report 2013 ranked Rwanda National Police among the top five public institutions that use social media effectively.
Police aims to continuously exploit its relationship with the media in order to foster its vision of making the people living in Rwanda to feel safe, involved and reassured.
